had solemnly placed it on record therein that he was sure and certain
that under no conceivable circumstances whatever would that emaciated
party, who had gone through all the pains of famine, have preyed on one
another. I cannot describe the visible relief which this spread through
the boat, and how the tears stood in every eye. From that time I was as
well convinced as Bligh himself that there was no danger, and that this
phantom, at any rate, did not haunt us.

Now, it was a part of Bligh's experience that when the people in his boat
were most cast down, nothing did them so much good as hearing a story
told by one of their number. When I mentioned that, I saw that it struck
the general attention as much as it did my own, for I had not thought of
it until I came to it in my summary. This was on the day after Mrs.
Atherfield first sang to us. I proposed that, whenever the weather would
permit, we should have a story two hours after dinner (I always issued
the allowance I have mentioned at one o'clock, and called it by that
name), as well as our song at sunset. The proposal was received with a
cheerful satisfaction that warmed my heart within me; and I do not say
too much when I say that those two periods in the four-and-twenty hours
were expected with positive pleasure, and were really enjoyed by all
hands. Spectres as we soon were in our bodily wasting, our imaginations
did not perish like the gross flesh upon our bones. Music and Adventure,
two of the great gifts of Providence to mankind, could charm us long
after that was lost.

The wind was almost always against us after the second day; and for many
days together we could not nearly hold our own. We had all varieties of
bad weather. We had rain, hail, snow, wind, mist, thunder and lightning.
Still the boats lived through the heavy seas, and still we perishing
people rose and fell with the great waves.